The Meaning of Love
by monmon
Summary: Senru. AU. A love story set in a medieval and magical time.
1. Chapter 1

The Meaning of Love: Chapter One  
By Monmon

Disclaimers: I do not own most of the characters in this story. They are the property of Inoue Takehiko… the story however is totally mine… so please don't sue me… if you see that parts of the story are similar to stories of your own, please tell me which part and I will give you credit for it… I have no idea if I copied anyone's story since I've read too many that my brain is frying now from trying to keep track of everything… but all you slam dunk fanfic writers out there are my inspiration… it is because of all you people that I started fanfic writing in the first place… so I dedicate this story to all you people (especially you Pastles… =)… I really, really wonder if you're reading this)… this is the first fanfic that I have ever written and it's still unfinished so comments everyone! By the way, please do not use Kit without my permission. That kawaii fox is totally MINE! 

General Sendoh Akira and his army fell into position in the silent forest. They have been circling the enemy encampment for several weeks now. Now all they waited for was for night to fall. If they succeeded in destroying this encampment, all of the enemy forces would scatter and the war would soon be over. He and his troops yearned to be home at Ryonan, the capital of Shohoku, and far away from this distant and hostile territory.   
It has been nearly a year since the war has begun. It started when Baron Sawakita Eiji tried to assassinate King Akagi and Prince Miyagi of Shohoku and seize the throne by force. Fortunately, due to his watchful eye, the Baron's plot was uncovered in time. Now the King's troops were trying to capture the Baron so that peace can once again fall upon the country.   
Soon night fell and Sendoh sent out a signal through his second-in-command Lieutenant Koshino Hiroaki to advance. His army silently crept up to the enemy encampment. Suddenly the Shohoku battle cry was issued, and the air was filled with the sounds of swords clashing and cries of death.   
Sendoh charged on his horse in the middle of the camp with his sword unsheathed, searching for the Baron's tent. He finally spotted a large tent with the Baron's crest on it. He quickly urged his horse to gallop towards the tent. He spotted a dark shadow on a horse galloping away from the tent and he hastened to follow. He trailed the dark shadow deep into the forest. It soon became difficult to see the dark rider in front of him as the mist, which the forest was named after, thickened. He could no longer see the figure in front of him and he urged his horse to go faster. Suddenly he sensed something. Poisonous darts filled the air. Sendoh desperately tried to change the direction of his horse but it was too late. His horse collapsed to the side and he tried to jump clear of the horse but only succeeded in dislocating his right shoulder and twisting his ankle as he hit the ground jarringly. A dart hit him on his left shoulder and he soon lost consciousness.

Baron Sawakita grinned evilly as he watched the general fall to the ground by his darts. '_I'll just let him die slowly by the poison. No one will find him in time to save him. That stupid general will finally understand the consequences of going against me!_' Sendoh has always been watching his every move from the beginning and he has always been loyal to the king. The baron hated him with a passion and was happy to finally see him dying alone on the ground. With one last smirk at Sendoh, he rode his horse deep into the night. 

* * *

Rukawa Kaede, master healer, woke up suddenly in the middle of the night with a sense of foreboding. He quickly donned his white healer robes, a warm cloak and his boots. His fox, Kit, opened an emerald eye as if asking if his friend required any assistance. Rukawa motioned the fox to stay there and Kit fell back to sleep. He stepped out of his cottage and let his instincts guide him. His face was cool and expressionless.   
Rukawa was orphaned when he was only seven. He and his parents were traveling towards Ryonan for the Summer Festival and were going to stop at Misty Village for the night. A band of thieves attacked the family when they neared the village. Rukawa was thrown against a tree and lost consciousness while his parents were stabbed to death. The thieves took all of their possessions and left the bodies for the vultures. Rukawa would have followed his parents but an old healer from the village saved him just in time. The old healer felt something wrong that night and as a result, he ventured out of his house. He found Rukawa bleeding profusely, breathing shallowly and suffering from a bad concussion. The healer noticed Rukawa's potential for becoming a great healer when he saw Rukawa's subconscious trying to stop the bleeding. The old healer immediately notified the authorities of the village and he bandaged Rukawa's wounds. Rukawa slept at the healer's house for a week.   
When Rukawa finally woke up, he discovered that his parents were gone. Rukawa cried his eyes out for two days and then he just stopped crying. He grew distant and cold to everyone around him. The old healer agreed to continue taking care of Rukawa and he started to teach Rukawa the basics of healing. Rukawa learned everything at an astounding speed. At the age of fifteen, Rukawa learned everything that the old healer could teach him and soon surpassed the old healer's skills. He became a master healer in his own right. He also learned everything about combat in general. He excelled at the bow, sword, spear, staff, hand-to-hand combat and many other fighting techniques. The villagers were impressed at his determination and aptitude. He also challenged many mercenaries that happened to cross his path to friendly duels. Those duels perfected his skills and made him into the dangerous man he is today.   
When the old healer died, Rukawa moved out of the village and lived alone in a small cottage within the Forest of the Mist. He did not interact with the people of the village unless they were hurt or sick, or unless he felt that something was wrong like this time. He enjoyed his solitary life and the people of the village left him alone, at least most of the time.   
He found Kit a few years back when he started to live out in the cottage. He was out gathering herbs to produce medicine that he needed when he heard Kit whimpering. He walked over to the sound curiously and saw that hyenas surrounded Kit and his dead mother. Rukawa scared away the hyenas with a handy slingshot and Kit fell into his care. Kit was only a baby then and feeling that the little fox's predicament matched his own when he was young, he bought the fox back to the cottage and cared for him. The fox became his sole friend and family.   
Rukawa's sense of urgency grew. He quickened his step but his expression remained impassive. He soon came upon a scene with a dead horse and a man with a very unusual hairdo lying beside the horse. The man's hair was standing straight up as if defying gravity. He quickly assessed the situation with his healer sight. He saw a black aura on the man's left shoulder and on the dead horse. Poison. The man's other shoulder was dislocated and he had twisted his ankle. Noting that he couldn't take care of the horse's carcass tonight, he pulled out a small vial of powder and poured some out on his hand. He sprinkled it on top of the horse, chanted a few words and traced a ward spell with a finger in the air. The pattern drawn in the air glowed a bright deep blue to his sight and then settled on the dead horse. The dead horse began to shimmer lightly. '_That should keep for one day. I should be able to take care of it tomorrow._' He didn't want any other animals of the forest to get affected by the poison. He then looked to the man. Taking a handkerchief out of his pocket, he carefully pulled the poisonous dart out of the shoulder and tied a tourniquet on the shoulder to stop the poison from spreading. The man let out a soft groan. Rukawa then scooped the man up in his arms like a baby, armor and all, and carried him quickly, with ease, back to his cottage.

Rukawa stripped the man of his armor until the man was wearing only his white cotton undershirt and shorts. He set the armor and the sword on a chair across the room. Rukawa then gently settled the man on his bed. The man shivered and let out a soft groan. After giving the man a sedative and a painkiller, he pulled the right shoulder back to its correct position and bandaged it firmly. He applied a splint to the twisted ankle and also bandaged that. He then attended to the poison wound. Rukawa knew he was running out of time. He released the tourniquet on the shoulder and held his hand just over the wound and closed his eyes.   
He calmed his mind and then touched the wound with his mind. He was immediately assaulted by the black insidious aura of the poison. He quickly set up a mind shield so that the poison would not affect him. He searched for the black core of the poison. Upon finding it, he gathered his power from the deep reserves of his life force and started to burn it out of the man's system. Sweat poured down his face as he concentrated on cleaning out the poison. He finally broke the link and collapsed exhausted on a chair beside the bed. He blacked out immediately. Kit seeing that Rukawa was unconscious, pulled a blanket from the floor with his mouth, jumped onto the table and placed it gently over Rukawa with experience. Kit then curled up next to the chair and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

Sendoh was dreaming. He was in a cold dark room that had icy walls. The walls were closing in on him. He pounded and pushed against the walls but he could not seem to escape. He suddenly saw a warm blue light. He walked towards it and its heat warmed his whole body. He felt safe and drowsy in the light. He curled up on the floor and went to sleep in the now warm and comforting room. The last thing he saw before he went to sleep was a pair of beautiful fox-blue eyes. 

* * *

Sawakita finally arrived at a place at the edge of the forest about an hour before dawn. There was a huge boulder leaning against a side of the mountain. He dismounted and walked up to the boulder. Sawakita moved his hands on the boulder until he found an unusually soft spot in the boulder and he pressed against it. The boulder shuddered and then started to move slowly to the side and until an entrance appeared. Sawakita quickly entered with his exhausted horse before the boulder's mechanism reactivated to roll back to its original position. He stood there for a minute to let his eyes adjust to the dim light. He was in a rather wide tunnel.   
A young boy was waiting for him and bowed when he saw Sawakita walk in. The boy was quite fair with wide green eyes and had an innocent and naive look on his face. He handed the reins of his horse to the boy and then impulsively caressed the boy on the cheek. The boy flushed deeply at his touch but he didn't dare to back away for fear of his life. '_Hmm… this is someone I can play with. But first things first. I have more pressing matters to attend to._' He reluctantly dismissed the boy from his presence. He walked deeper into the tunnel until he reached a large cavern.   
"You're late." A low voice growled at him.   
"Ah, Matsuki-kun. There you are. I've been looking all over for you." Sawakita turned and smiled at the older man. "Did you miss me?"   
Matsuki Dai glared blackly at Sawakita. "Don't forget your promise. I'll provide you with the money for troops but you have to guarantee that the king and prince dies. I must have revenge for what they did to me. Now why are you late?"   
"I had to take care of… ah… an unnecessary and bothersome fly. Anyways the trap is set. I will be King of Shohoku and you will get your revenge." Sawakita said with an evil grin. "The encampment was only a trick to make them think that I have no other options since the assassination attempt did not succeed. They do not know that I had already set in motion a back-up plan just in case that the first plan did not succeed. Don't worry. I will not fail this time. Now how about granting me a favor?" Sawakita smiled charmingly at Matsuki.   
"What do you want?" Matsuki asked guardedly.   
"That youth that took my horse… send him to my room. I want to have a little… fun… before I leave."   
Matsuki shuddered at the thought but nodded.   
Sawakita smiled charmingly and whistled as he walked towards his room. The stronghold has been crafted cunningly inside the mountain and was quite luxurious. His room was deep within the mountain where thick walls blocked all sound from coming out.


	2. Chapter 2

The Meaning of Love: Chapter Two  
By Monmon

Disclaimers: Read Chapter 1. 

The next morning, Rukawa woke up to the chirping of birds outside of his cottage. He blinked groggily and stretched his limbs and muscles languidly. He looked to the prone figure on the bed and gently touched the man's forehead. The man was breathing normally and there was no sign of the fever that sometimes followed poison infections. He was relieved to see that the man was doing fine and he determined that the man should be up and walking in one or two days. He changed the bandages and applied a salve on the man's shoulders and ankle to ensure faster healing. He also covered the poison wound with some bandages to make sure that it didn't get infected. He stepped out of the cottage after eating some cold stew for breakfast and went to deal with the dead horse. He cremated the horse and buried the ashes deep within the earth. He then started his daily fighting exercises to keep his body in shape and limber. After several hundred punches, kicks, etc., Rukawa made a stop at one of the natural hot springs in the forest which produced all of the mist in the forest, and took a long hot bath. A few hours later, since Rukawa dozed off during his bath, he emerged refreshed and clean. Rukawa got some water from a well, picked up some firewood and started to walk back to his cottage.   
His mind drifted to the events last night. He wondered why he felt compelled to save that man. '_Who exactly is he?_' He remembered seeing the King's crest on his armor and sword and deduced that he was a warrior of the King's army and probably one of high rank due to the quality of his weapons. He normally did not use his power to heal his patients. It drained so much from him and if he was not careful and used too much power, he could die due to the drainage of his life force. But last night, his intuition demanded that the man must be saved immediately and at all costs.   
As he neared his cottage, he saw a girl calling his name. People could not get near his cottage since he kept a protective barrier on it at all times. He put it there to keep out thieves, animals and unwanted visitors.   
He stopped a few yards from the girl. "Hey."   
The girl spun towards him. She immediately got hearts in her eyes as she took in his snow-white smooth skin, icy, blue eyes, and silky black hair.   
Rukawa sighed disgustedly. He hated all girls that acted this way towards him and usually avoided them like the plague, but this one was Murakiri Asako, the daughter of the village mayor, Murakiri Isao. So he had to at least talk to her out of respect for the mayor. "What do you want?" He hoped his voice would make her snap out of her trance.   
Asako shook herself and snapped out of her daydream. "Rukawa-kun, my fa- the mayor wants to know if you would be joining us for the Spring Festival which is in about a week. He wants to have you as a guest of honor." Seeing his expressionless face, she quickly added, "You don't have to do anything. You can show up whenever you want and leave whenever you wish."  
Rukawa looked at her silently for a moment and then sighed. "I'll see."   
Her eyes brightened to the fact that Rukawa did not automatically reject the suggestion.   
"You can go now." Rukawa was already walking away from her and towards the cottage. He passed through the protection barrier and disappeared into the cottage.   
She lowered her eyes in disappointment that he did not stay longer. She waited around the cottage for a few minutes hoping to catch another glimpse of the dark-haired man, but with no such luck. She finally left to return to the village.   
Inside the cottage, Rukawa started a fire to cook some stew for dinner. Cooking and managing the fire well is essential for making medicine and therefore he excelled at both. He walked into the bedroom to check up on his patient. The man had tossed his covers onto the floor. Rukawa picked them up and covered the man with them once again. He looked at the sleeping man curiously. The man's hair was still standing straight up from his scalp. His face was handsome, but as the man slept, it also looked childlike and innocent. The man looked to be only a few years older than him. He wondered once again who that man was and what had happened that night.   
Rukawa shrugged the questions from his mind and walked out of the room closing the door softly behind him. He finished cooking the stew and ate it. After cleaning the dishes and pots, he sat down by the fireplace and took out the handkerchief that held the poisonous dart.   
'_Hmm... I wonder what type of poison it is. I didn't have enough time to analyze what it was yesterday._' Taking small vials of different colored powder off a shelf, he poured some of the contents of each of the vials in a bowl and then mixed them together. He then poured a glass of boiled water and dipped the tip of the poisonous dart in the water and then placed it aside. He then placed the glass on the ground next to the cloth. He then poured the powder in the glass, careful not to spill any of it. He then chanted a couple a few words and then sat back and waited. A few minutes later, the blue and black powder swirled to the top of the glass, the red powder dispersed throughout the glass, and the yellow and green powder stayed at the bottom of the glass. He conducted more tests like this and after going through several books about poison and several hours later, he concluded that the poison originated from the far kingdom of Aiwa. Rukawa frowned. '_This type of poison is very rare here and Aiwa is at least a hundred leagues from here. So why is it here? And why use it on that man?_'   
He yawned, putting the thoughts in his head temporarily to rest. He was exhausted. He carefully rewrapped the dart in the handkerchief and placed it in a sealed jar on the top shelf. He then cleaned up his little experiment. He set up some blankets on the floor by the fireplace, lied down, and promptly went to sleep. Kit, who was sleeping in the corner by the fireplace while Rukawa was examining the poisoned dart, woke up, crawled into the blankets with the man and fell asleep again.

* * *

Sendoh was warm. He hadn't felt this warm since last year before the war started. He shifted towards his side and opened his eyes slowly. He blinked blearily as he took in his unfamiliar surroundings. Suddenly, memories of his chase after the baron flooded his mind. He tried to get up but he fell back down on the bed with a groan. His arms and legs were stiff.   
"You're finally awake," said a cold, musical voice.   
Sendoh turned to look at the source of the voice and his heart caught got caught in his throat. He stared into the bluest eyes he has ever seen. The boy had snow-white skin and short ebony black hair, which almost covered his piercing blue eyes. He was wearing white healer robes and was holding a basin in his arms. His face was blank and expressionless.   
"You... saved me?" Sendoh asked dazedly.   
The boy nodded slightly and put down the basin that was full of hot water on the table by the bed. He lifted Sendoh gently into a sitting position on the bed. Sendoh could feel warmth seeping into him from the boy. Sendoh took a closer look at the boy's face and realized that the boy was much older than he first appeared to be. Sendoh estimated that the young man was just a few years younger than him. The young man soaked a white towel in the basin and rinsed it. He handed it silently to Sendoh.   
"Thank you," Sendoh took the cloth and washed the grime from his face. "My name is Sendoh Akira. Who are you and where is this place?" Sendoh asked with a charming smile on his face.   
"Rukawa Kaede. My home. Let me change your bandages." The man replied slowly in a cold and impassive voice.   
Rukawa pulled up a chair next to the bed and began to unravel the bandages. Sendoh studied the young man silently with a smile on his face. His touch was gentle and soothing. Rukawa applied a salve to his arms and ankle and then neatly bandaged them again. He stood up and coolly said, "Wait here."   
Rukawa walked out of the room and returned a few minutes later with a tray. On the tray were two full bowls of hot stew. It was then that Sendoh realized he was starving. Rukawa placed the tray on the table and handed him one of the bowls. Sendoh quickly downed the stew and discovered that it was delicious. Rukawa handed him the second bowl and set the empty one on the tray on the table. Sendoh ate the second bowl a little slower savoring the taste. "So you live alone?" he asked.   
Rukawa nodded slightly. '_Hmm... so he's not really talkative._' Sendoh thought. "So how long do I have to wait before I'm fully healed?"   
"One to two weeks."   
They watched each other silently as Sendoh finished eating the stew.  
"You're part of the King's army?" The way Rukawa said it made it sound more like a statement than a question.   
Sendoh gazed at him with surprise. "Yes."   
"Why were you in the forest?" Rukawa asked curiously.   
"I was chasing after some bad guys and instead of capturing them, they escaped and wounded me." Sendoh answered playfully with a smile. "How did you find me?"   
"Walking." Rukawa answered cryptically.   
Rukawa stood up and collected the empty bowls. "Get some rest." After saying that, he walked out of the room. Sendoh stared after the slender figure thoughtfully. He sank slowly back down onto the soft bed. He glanced at his surroundings. The room was neat and clean with many different sized jars and bottles on the shelves. There was also an assortment of books on another shelf. He was also surprised to see a wide variety of weapons in the room. His own armor and sword was on a chair by the far wall. His thoughts wandered back to his savior and with the mysterious deep blue eyes. _'Who are you, Rukawa Kaede?'_ was his last thought before he drifted off into a deep slumber.

After tending to his patient, Rukawa decided to go to sleep early. He was excited that his patient finally woke up. He had many questions that he wanted to ask Sendoh but the man seemed to be very guarded and wary. Rukawa did not mind it much since he still had a couple of days to satisfy his curiosity about this stranger in his home. He lied down on the blankets on the floor and quickly fell to sleep in span of two seconds. Kit, returning from one of his night hunts, jumped into the cottage from a window and curled up beside Rukawa. 

* * *

Lieutenant Koshino saluted smartly at General Fujima Kenji. "Sir, has any report of General Sendoh's whereabouts come in yet?   
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant. No word has come in yet." General Fujima's eyes were understanding and sympathetic.   
"Thank you."   
Koshino turned around and walked out of the general's office. He walked back to his room. In his room, pulled aside the window's curtain and walked out on his balcony. Sendoh and him have been friends since childhood and have entered the army together. They had been together through thick and thin, and were like brothers. Sendoh disappeared when the battle at the encampment commenced and there was no word from him for two days. Koshino looked up at the beautiful night sky, praying silently, '_Sendoh, where are you?_'


	3. Chapter 3

The Meaning of Love: Chapter Three  
By Monmon

Disclaimers: Read Chapter 1. 

Sendoh woke up suddenly when something heavy jumped upon his chest. He felt something very warm and wet on his face. His eyes popped open in surprise and stared dumbly at a grinning fox with emerald green eyes on top of him. Morning sunshine was streaming in from the window by the bed and it bathed the whole room in light.   
"I guess he likes you."   
Sendoh turned his head and watched Rukawa step into the room with a tray. On the tray, there was a bowl of soup and a large piece of bread. Upon seeing Rukawa, the fox bounded off of Sendoh and ran up to the fox-eyed youth. Rukawa set down the tray on the table and motioned Sendoh to eat. Sendoh dipped the bread into the soup and watched Rukawa as he munched on the bread. Rukawa bent down and rubbed the fox affectionately on the head as the fox licked his hand. Rukawa's expression, however, showed no emotion whatsoever.   
"So does the fox have a name?"   
"Kit. Sendoh Akira."   
Sendoh was surprised that Rukawa ha given his name to the fox. He quickly got over his surprise and concluded that Rukawa was not your normal everyday healer. He continued to finish up his breakfast.   
"So Rukawa, is there a village nearby?" Sendoh asked with a smile.   
"Short walk west."   
"Don't you ever say more than just a few words?"   
"…"   
"Guess not." '_Oh well._' "By the way, what day is today?"   
Rukawa considered this question for a minute and then replied, "Twenty-fourth day of spring."   
Sendoh quickly calculated the amount of days had passed by since the battle at Sawakita's encampment and was extremely surprised to discover that it was only three days ago. '_Impossible! I know Sawakita hit me with a poisoned dart and I'm sure that he would have slit my throat if he thought that the poison would not take my life. So why am I still alive and awake in only three days after the battle?_' He eyed Rukawa warily who was now feeding Kit a piece of dried meat. '_Who exactly is this man and what does he want from me?_' He turned this question around in his mind and decided that he could think about it later when his head started to pound. His expression must have showed his pain because Rukawa suddenly got up, took the almost empty bowl from his hands and gently pushed him back on the bed.   
"Where does it hurt?"   
Sendoh was surprised to hear concern in the other man's voice. He looked up at the fox-eyed man's face. Rukawa's expression was bland and impassive. '_Was I just hearing things or what?_' Sendoh wondered to himself. He must have been silent for quite a while because Rukawa decided that a full physical checkup was in order.

Rukawa glared blackly at his patient when the man started to protest that he was all right. Sendoh must have caught his glare because he immediately stopped fidgeting. It was a good thing that the man succumbed to his ministrations because Rukawa had very little patience for uncooperative patients. He had no compunctions about forcing his patients to do things that he thought was necessary to ensure their health. This included shoving medicine down a patient's throat or even knocking out the patient so the patient would stop squirming. He proceeded to check the man's vital signs. '_Hmm… temperature is normal. Pulse is also normal. Breathing is also normal. There was no head injury or uneven pupils when I found him, so a concussion is out of the question. Perhaps he is just plain tired._' Finally satisfied with his assessment, he got up and pulled some blankets over the man. He then pulled a curtain over the window, plunging the room into a semidarkness. "Rest." He told the man over his shoulder as he walked out of the room with the bowl on the tray. Kit looked back and forth between him and Sendoh and then decided to stay with Sendoh.   
Rukawa shrugged indifferently at the fox's decision as he walked out of the room and then thought with a slight smirk, '_Kit must be as curious about this guy as I am._' He frowned. '_Sendoh doesn't trust me. I wonder why. I didn't do anything offensive towards him and he's only been awake for two days._' He thought back to the moment when he felt Sendoh's distrust. '_Hmm… he was asking me a question. Now what was it? He asked me for today's date! So that's what it was. He's wondering how he is awake in only three days after he was poisoned. He must think that I had the antidote on hand. That makes me very suspicious._' He thought ruefully to himself.   
A possible solution suddenly hit him. '_I could show him the poisoned dart and explain a bit about the poison. If I show him that I'm willing to assist him in any way, maybe he'll trust me._' He started at his own thoughts, almost dropping the tray in his hands. He had never cared a whit before what people thought of him, especially if they trust him or not, but now he was willing to practically do anything to get this man who was recovering in his home to trust him. '_What is it about this man that made this change in me so necessary? I know that he's important and my instincts are never wrong about these things._' Rukawa set the tray down on a table and rubbed his temples lightly throwing his current thoughts temporarily aside. His muscles felt tense and his head hurt. He decided that a visit to the hot springs was exactly what he needed. He left the cottage with some spare clothes knowing that Kit would find him if anything wrong happened.

* * *

Sendoh stared up at the ceiling confusedly. The concern he felt from Rukawa was real. He was sure of it. He wanted to trust this man but his mind and practicality would not let him until he was absolutely sure. As his thoughts whirled around in his head, his head started to pound again. '_Maybe I should do what the healer prescribed and get some sleep after all._' He thought ruefully to himself. With that, he closed his eyes and let himself drift off into a dreamless state. 

* * *

Sendoh woke up to the sensation of someone shaking him. His muscles tensed and his eyes snapped open. Rukawa's face loomed over him and he finally remembered where he was. He relaxed his muscles but his eyes watched the fox-eyed healer warily.   
"I thought you might be hungry."   
The healer held out a large bowl of chicken stew towards him. Sendoh sat up slowly in bed and took the bowl. He peered out the window and saw that it was already night. '_How long have I been asleep? I didn't realize that I was so tired._'   
"You slept for about eight hours."   
The cold and impassive voice cut through his musings. He looked up startled that the other man read his mind and he slowly began to eat. Rukawa sat down on a chair by the bed and then pulled something out of the folds of his robes.   
"I believe this is yours."   
The fox-eyed man held out a cloth with a dart nestled in the middle. His eyes widened in surprise and interest as he stared at the dart. He recognized it as one of the darts that Sawakita had secretly commissioned from the kingdom's blacksmiths. He accidentally happened to find out about it when he went to the blacksmiths and asked them to fix a little nick in his sword. A man who went by the pseudonym ES commissioned those darts and it wasn't too hard to figure out who ES was. Luckily he figured it out before those same darts were used in the attempt to assassinate the king and the prince.   
"That's the dart that poisoned me."   
The kitsune-eyed man nodded affirmatively.   
"I thought you might be interested to learn what poisoned you." Rukawa looked at him expectantly with clear deep blue eyes.   
Curiosity taking over, Sendoh nodded cautiously. He reached for the dart in the other man's hands. He was surprised when the other man pulled it just out of his reach. "I didn't sterilize it."   
Rukawa moved the dart within his reach once again.   
Sendoh reached for the dart again and this time, Rukawa didn't pull the dart away. He carefully took the dart and the cloth from the other man and scrutinized the poisoned tip, mindful not to touch the poisoned edge.   
"The poison is from Aiwa. It's rare."   
Sendoh studied Rukawa with hard eyes. Clear, vibrant, deep blue eyes stared back at him as if daring him to look away. A thought suddenly hit him, '_Maybe he knows that I don't trust him. Was I that transparent?_' He glanced at the dart and then looked back at the healer. '_Might as well be blunt about it._' "Why are you telling me this?"   
"I want you to trust me."   
'_Oh well. So much for keeping my suspicions to myself._' "Why should I trust you?" He demanded, looking at the kitsune-eyed healer carefully.   
The other man shrugged his shoulders and then replied impassively, "You would be dead if I wished it."   
'_Good point. Sawakita would not let the chance to kill me just slip away. He just hates me too much to do that._' He understood how much the ex-baron hated him and his present alive state would most assuredly make Sawakita angry. '_So maybe this man isn't part of Sawakita's group. But how did he heal me so quickly? Wait a minute. Could it be that he has the same power as Master Healer Ayako-san?_'   
He remembered the time when one of the lieutenants under his command came back extremely cut up from a scouting mission. Luckily Ayako-san was there. The lieutenant was bleeding profusely in many places and he had a big gash on his head that would not clot. Ayako-san placed her hand on his head and closed her eyes. At the time, Sendoh wanted to rage at her and make her do something other than just sit there. But something stopped him. He saw a pink aura around her and it surrounded the lieutenant's head. The gash closed in on itself and the new skin formed where the cut was. It was as if there was never a wound there. It was the first time that he had ever seen the power that only master healers possess. It was this power that differentiated them from regular healers and it fascinated him. But power always comes with a price. After Ayako-san finished healing the man, she fell out of her chair to the ground unconscious. The paleness of her face appalled him and he immediately ordered that a room and bed to be made for her. Much to his relief, she recovered the next day.   
'_Maybe Rukawa has the same power. But a master healer at his age?_' He thought dubiously to himself. He almost laughed out loud at his own thoughts. '_Well who had ever heard of a general at my age?_' Many pompous nobles at court often scoffed at his status thinking that he was only given the position only because he was a distant cousin of Prince Miyagi, not because of his skills. He eventually proved them all wrong with his military prowess and the loyalty that he inspired in his troops. '_And now I'm doing the same thing to Rukawa._' He mentally smacked himself in the head.   
Finally noticing that Rukawa was waiting for him to say something, he gave the other man a big grin and solemnly said with a straight face, "I'll trust you if you give me another bowl of this delicious stew." He held the bowl out to Rukawa with puppy dog eyes.   
He watched gleefully as Rukawa's eyes widened in shock and his jaw drop open in surprise. '_So adorable!_' He thought delightedly to himself. He mentally smacked himself in the head again. '_Akira, what the HELL are you thinking of?_'   
Rukawa quickly recovered from his surprise, snapped his mouth shut and nodded slightly. He glared at him and grabbed the empty bowl from Sendoh's fingers and walked quickly out of the room.   
Sendoh amusedly watched the fox-eyed healer stalk out of the room with an unconscious grace and bowl clutched in his hands. There was no denying the fact that the other man was beautiful. The man had white creamy skin and piercing blue eyes with long black lashes that any girl would kill to have. '_I would definitely jump all over Rukawa if he was a girl. Too bad he's a guy._' He thought somewhat regrettably to himself.   
Rukawa quickly returned with another bowl of stew but this time he did not sit down to talk. The healer just glared at him and stalked out of the room again. Sendoh grinned again in spite of the disappointment he felt when Rukawa did not deign to stay and talk some more. '_Rukawa looks so cute when he is angry!_' He thought cheerfully to himself. He could tell he was going to have fun spending time with the fox-eyed man. He finished up his second bowl of stew and then lied back down on the bed. The heat of the stew spread through his entire body and the warmth was making him drowsy. He yawned languidly and snuggled deeper in the blankets. He quickly fell asleep again.


	4. Chapter 4

The Meaning of Love: Chapter Four  
By Monmon

Disclaimers: Read Chapter 1. 

General Fujima Kenji woke up early in the morning before dawn. Today he would have to greet the emissaries from the Shoyo kingdom. Shoyo is a kingdom slightly bigger than Shohoku just south of Shohoku's borders. Shohoku is a young kingdom compared to Shoyo. Shohoku was only established about a hundred and fifty years ago by a group of nobles who came from an empire that was across the ocean in the north of their kingdom. Legends talk about a large empire rich beyond their imaginations across the ocean in the northern lands, but it was never proven for no sailor who tried the venture had returned. So people automatically thought that there was nothing on the other side except the endless expansion of ocean water in which all sailors perished through starvation and thirst.   
In the last few decades, Shohoku has rapidly increased itself technologically, in population and in status, making them known to the other countries for the very first time. Since Shoyo was so near, King Akagi wanted to make sure that they could live in peace together and cement trade relations with each other. King Akagi had taken the first step in openly inviting the people of Shoyo to come to visit and merchants to trade in their marketplaces. The other kingdom had slowly responded at first, but soon gained confidence in their sincerity and honesty. This would be the first of hopefully many visits from Shoyo. So far, everything was going quite smoothly.   
Due to Sendoh's absence, he and Koshino were left separating between them Sendoh's workload. Fujima stretched languidly hearing several bones in his back popping. He covered his mouth as he yawned and then quickly dressed in a light, black tunic and matching riding pants. He left his formal uniform in his room thinking that the earliest that the emissaries would arrive would be early afternoon. He planned to do some work and riding before they appear. He walked out of his room breathing in the fresh morning air.   
It was quiet outside due to the fact that most of the people within the palace were still sleeping. He walked swiftly through many twisting corridors towards the back entrance of the kitchen where the trainees for the army usually worked. As he stepped into the kitchen, he saw that Mrs. Potts was already hard at work. He snatched some apples off the counter, attracting her immediate attention. The short, chubby woman turned around quickly to catch the thief who was pilfering food from her kitchen so early in the morning.   
"Kenji! You are up so early! Why didn't you sleep longer? I know that Akira is not here but you should take better care of yourself. Are you eating alright?" The woman immediately exclaimed when she noticed who the 'thief' was. Looking at the apples in his hands, she frowned and said, "Those apples will not be able to fill you. Wait here for a minute." She disappeared around the corner, apron trailing after her. A second later, her head popped back around the corner. "If you don't wait, I will hunt you down and shove enough food down your throat that will feed any normal person for a week." She disappeared around the corner again.   
Fujima chuckled slightly to himself. Mrs. Potts loved and treated him like her own son. She was always criticizing his eating habits, bordering on obsessing that he eats correctly. She was the closest that he could say that felt like real family here. They had been friends ever since he had started helping out in the kitchen while he was training for the army. All trainees were given palace chores along with homework and classes. When Mrs. Potts first laid her eyes on him, she immediately took a liking to him and took him under her care.   
He was born to an aristocratic family that was distantly related to the royal family of Shohoku. He was orphaned during a war when he was very young. He inherited a lot of money and the estate because he was the sole heir of his father. When he was twenty-two, he found himself extremely bored with all the upper-class formalities that he had to uphold. So he left his estate under the care of several loyal servants and joined the army. At first, he kept his connection to the royal family a secret not wanting to be treated with any special consideration over the rest of the trainees. But he soon found that it was unnecessary. Everyone was treated equally and those who felt they should be treated with superior privileges, were soon ousted out of training, and sent back home, disgracing their family name.   
His first friends here were two other trainees that entered the army a few weeks after he did, Sendoh Akira and Koshino Hiroaki. He is five years older than both of them. He was surprised to discover that Sendoh was also the sole heir of his family estate and related in some way to the royal family like he was. He thought he was the only one that would be insane enough to give up the easy life for the harsh life of a soldier. Koshino was also noble born, the youngest of seven sons, but was not connected to royal blood.   
They had so much fun together as trainees, playing pranks on their teachers and sneaking in and out of the palace when they were not supposed to. Soon after, they met Prince Miyagi. They were coloring the training field neon pink with a substance that was nearly impossible to get out when the prince caught them in the act. They thought that they would be in big trouble for sure and would probably get expelled from the school. Instead, Miyagi grinned at them and asked them if he could help. Fujima grinned at the memory of them gaping at the prince like goldfishes before dumbly nodding their agreement. Their teachers had confounded expressions on their faces when they saw the field the next day, and each teacher knew that they did it but they did not have any evidence to convict them. The teachers had to wait for the grass to grow out of its pink color on its own before they could use the field again without the grass' annoying color distracting them.   
The prince of Shohoku surprised him. He expected him to be stuck up and one of those whiny babies similar to almost all the other aristocrats that he had met. Instead, Miyagi turned out to be a good-natured and mischievous fellow who loved to play tricks on people. The prince joined their ragtag group of tricksters almost immediately much to King Akagi's displeasure. He smiled at the memories of King Akagi reprimanding them and them barely skimming out of highly explosive situations.   
Koshino was probably the only one in the group that actually felt any guilt for playing these tricks on the people in the school and palace. Both he and Sendoh pressured Koshino into performing these pranks with them and later on by Prince Miyagi. But Koshino could play a mean trick when he wanted to. One time, one of their teachers reprimanded him for not doing his chores correctly without checking if he indeed was responsible. In reality, the teacher scolded the wrong student. Koshino took the lecture stoically, but he got his revenge later. By the time Koshino was done, the teacher had his hair painted three different colors, his nails and toenails polished in bright florescent colors and one of his eyebrows fully plucked. The teacher could not show his face within the palace for months. The school had to hire another instructor to take his place.   
Sendoh was promoted to the rank of a general soon after he was. When he got promoted, he was already twenty-six years old. That was already a record for the youngest general. The youngest general in history before him was twenty-eight years old. Sendoh got promoted when he was only 21 years old. This caused a huge uproar in the upper-class society but King Akagi kept to his decision, telling those who objected that Sendoh would prove them all wrong.   
Fujima, on the other hand, was sincerely happy for Sendoh. On the battlefield, Sendoh is absolutely brilliant. Sendoh is one of the greatest assets that Shohoku can have. He was not in the least jealous of his younger friend. He did not join the army for fortune or glory or anything like that. He joined it to alleviate some of his boredom.   
He suddenly wondered where Sendoh was. He was perfectly confident that Sendoh was still alive and would be soon coming back to the palace to take on his duties once again. Although Sendoh was a prankster, he took his duties very seriously and responsibly. Koshino, on the other hand, was a natural worrywart. This was probably due to the fact that ever since they were young, whenever Sendoh got into trouble, Koshino also got dragged into the mess and then had to find a way to pick up the pieces that Sendoh had left behind. Although they argued a tremendous amount, they were the best of friends and inseparable. They could count on each other no matter what. They were closer than real blood brothers in that fashion.   
He snapped out of his thoughts as he saw Mrs. Potts suddenly appear in front of him with several items in her hands. She handed him a large loaf of bread and a cup of cider. After saying thank you, he walked leisurely outside, munching on the soft bread and drinking the cider.   
As he headed towards the stables, Fujima noted that it was going to be a beautiful day. It was not too hot and the breeze was cool and relaxing. Reaching the stables, he finished his breakfast and headed towards the first stall. A brown chestnut colored stallion greeted him immediately when he stepped into the stall. Chance began to nuzzle his clothing searching for a treat. Fujima skillfully keep the apples out of the war-horse's sight. After the horse thoroughly searched his clothing, Chance snorted and then turned away. The horse took two steps away from Fujima and then quickly whipped around, closing the distance between them, hanging his head over Fujima's shoulder in clear sight of the apples behind his back. Chance playfully snapped his teeth inches from his ear in reproach. Fujima laughed and surrendered the apples to the horse.   
"Should have known that you could smell food miles away." Fujima said affectionately as he rubbed the horse's neck.   
Chance snorted and happily munched on the apples. After Chance finished eating the apples, Fujima swung himself up onto the horse's back and let the horse go wherever he wished. Chance started off at a leisurely pace, which quickly turned to a full gallop. Fujima closed his eyes, keeping his grip tight on the horse's mane and enjoyed the ride. The wind on his face and his clothing temporarily made him forget his responsibilities and it gave him the sense that he was soaring like a bird high up in the sky.   
Suddenly Chance tensed under him and Fujima was brought back to reality. Snapping his eyes open, he saw a spectacled man on a dark brown horse a few paces in front of him. The man was wearing a dark green cotton tunic and black riding pants. The man was just sitting there watching him with a smile on his face.   
Fujima called out, "Good Morning Sir. May I ask who you might be and what is your purpose in being here?" There was no reason to be rude to this stranger… yet.   
"Good Morning." The other man bowed slightly in greeting from his horse. "My name is Hanagata Toru. I am one of the emissaries from the Shoyo kingdom. I'm afraid that I am quite lost. Can you direct me to where I am supposed to go?"   
Surprise filled him as he scrutinized the man before him once again. He noted the subtle differences in the clothing that the other man wore and the horse that carried the spectacled man. The clothing and the horse were definitely not of this land. Finally satisfied that the other man was who he claimed to be, Fujima gave Hanagata a big, welcoming smile.   
"Please allow me to welcome you to the capital of our lovely kingdom, Shohoku. I'm sorry that I am not quite prepared for your visit. I expected you later on today. My name is Fujima Kenji. I will be your escort during your stay here." He returned the bow and then slipped off his horse, landing nimbly on his feet. He leisurely walked up to the mounted man and held out his hand. After a moment of hesitation, the spectacled man dismounted and grasped his hand firmly within his own.   
"It's nice to meet you, Fujima Kenji." Hanagata said calmly with a bright smile on his face.

* * *

Fujima mounted Chance once again and led Emissary Hanagata back towards the royal stables. The conversation between them was light and polite. Fujima was slightly disappointed that even though he got up so early in the morning, he still didn't have some private time to himself. But he didn't let it show on his face. His objective was to make the emissaries from Shoyo as comfortable as possible to ensure a mutually beneficial alliance between the two countries.   
"So how do like our country so far?"   
"It is quite beautiful. Your people are really happy and content." Hanagata replied without hesitation and with a smile on his face.   
Fujima instinctively liked this man. There was something about him that made his presence really comforting and soothing, like the presence of an old friend.   
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you get here so fast?" Fujima asked curiously. "I estimated at least 100 hours if you ride during the day resting only at noon and at night giving you about 15 hours of riding per day. That makes it at least about a seven-day trip to get here from the capital of Shoyo. And I know that you departed from Shoyo only six days ago. So you're about a half a day of riding early."   
"Well, your answer is under me." Hanagata patted and rubbed his chocolate-colored horse on the neck affectionately. The horse tossed its head and snorted.   
Fujima looked curiously at the horse. The horse was certainly more muscular than any other horse that he had ever seen. It also had a different look to it. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but the difference was definitely there.   
"How-"   
Hanagata cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Don't bother asking. We never let out our kingdom secrets." His eyes twinkled mysteriously, setting a finger to his lips.   
Fujima sighed and then smiled up at the other man. "Well everyone's entitled to their own secrets, right?"   
Hanagata laughed out loud. "Of course! If we didn't, life would be so boring. We couldn't possibly want that, right?"   
Fujima joined in the laughter. "Yes. Yes, you're right." He agreed wholeheartedly.


	5. Chapter 5

The Meaning of Love: Chapter Five  
By Monmon

Disclaimers: Read Chapter 1. 

"Wake up."   
Sendoh turned his back on the voice and threw one of his spare pillows in the voice's general direction. "Go away." He muttered sleepily.   
His pillow must have hit his target because he heard a low growl and the next thing he knew, he was tumbled out of bed onto the floor, landing on his butt painfully. His eyes flew open and he spotted Kit, a few feet from him, grinning and holding the blanket that was under him just a moment ago, between his teeth.   
"You!"   
The fox just grinned widely enough to split his face around the blanket in his mouth and nimbly stayed out of Sendoh's reach as the emerald-eyed fox trotted back to Rukawa's side.   
Sendoh rubbed his behind soothingly and glared up at the perpetrator. "What did you do that for? I'm still hurt remember? Do you treat all of your patients that way or is it just me?"   
Rukawa glared unrepentantly back at him and said in a cold, monotonous tone, "You need to bathe."   
"Are you saying I smell?!"   
Rukawa nodded slightly. Sendoh swore that he saw an amused glint in the man's eyes.   
"Kit will guide you to the hot springs." The fox-eyed healer told him impassively.   
Having said that, Rukawa walked out of the room. Kit eyed Sendoh carefully while slowly padding closer to him. Seeing that he was no longer in danger from the man, Kit curled up in the blanket on the floor that he stole, and promptly went to sleep. Sendoh slowly crawled up from the floor and onto the bed. He slowly flexed his arms and legs and winced slightly at their soreness and stiffness. Sendoh looked up as Rukawa came back into the room with a crutch.   
"Here." Rukawa handed him the crutch and Sendoh tried to use it to stand up but fell back onto the bed with a cry as pain shot up his legs. Rukawa stood there watching him silently as Sendoh massaged his calves and thighs soothingly. Suddenly, Rukawa sat down on the bed beside him, pulled his arm over white-robe covered shoulders and wrapped an arm around his waist. He hoisted Sendoh up in one smooth motion.   
"I don't have another crutch."   
Finally understanding what the other man intended, Sendoh leaned heavily on the other man and held the crutch in his free arm. It was less painful to stand up this time since Rukawa was supporting most of his weight. Kit opened one emerald eye and seeing that he wasn't needed as a guide anymore, decided to stay where he was and get some more shuteye.

The journey to the hot springs was quite tedious and uncomfortable. Sendoh's legs felt deadened and refused to support his weight. The warm, slender body pressed to his side was as distracting as the soreness in his limbs. The trek was marked by a preoccupied silence, which was quite unusual for a man who lived his life with a cheerful smile on his face and worries further than the sun.   
Sendoh let out a sigh of relief when he caught sight of the hot springs. He tried to increase his pace but ended up stumbling over his own two feet. Strong arms caught him and hoisted him up like a baby. Deep blue eyes peered into his own and his breath got caught in his throat. Sapphire jewels tinged with concern winked mysteriously at him and he felt himself falling into gorgeous twin pools of dark blue velvet. What concerned him the most was that he didn't seem to care how far he fell. He was brought out of his reverie by a cold, monotone voice.   
"Are you alright?"   
He quickly averted his eyes and nodded quickly. A few moments later, he found himself leaning against a large slab of rock right next to a hot spring. Steam curled up languidly from the spring into the air before slowly dissipating.   
"Do you need anything else?"   
Sendoh looked up and noted that Rukawa hung up a plain white cotton robe and a large, fluffy towel on a low tree branch, which he could easily reach. The healer had also gathered some sweet-smelling herbs and soap root and placed it near the edge of the hot spring. Sendoh glanced at Rukawa and then looked away. He suddenly felt very nervous and confused.   
A small gust of wind was his only warning as Rukawa walked over to him and started to unbutton his shirt with deft hands. A tinge of red rushed to his cheeks but it was gone in a flash as he fell back into his usual persona.   
"Well, well, well. If you want to undress me that much, all you had to do was ask." Sendoh said with a laugh and a smirk on his lips.   
Slender hands fell away from his clothing and wide, dark blue eyes looked up at him with surprise and confusion. '_He really is just too adorable._' Sendoh admired almost absently. '_He's like a child in his innocence._' Comprehension flashed across the beautiful face and the expression smoothed itself back into its usual blankness. Sendoh was slightly disappointed to see the expression covered up. '_I wonder why he won't open up. Why does he live alone in a cottage? Doesn't he have any relatives?_' The questions swirled wildly in his head as he stared thoughtfully into the sapphire pools before him, trying to discern their secrets.

Rukawa shifted a bit uncomfortably as clear blue eyes locked onto his own. It was only through sheer stubbornness that he did not look away. He took the moment to examine the man before him in the clear sunlight. The man was slightly pale but that was normal considering that the dark-haired man was injured and sick. Aside from the fact that the man still looked exhausted, and kept wincing every time he moved, he was well on the road to recovery. The most astounding thing was the man's hair. Even after several days of being bedridden, the hair still defiantly refused to droop. '_I wonder if it is natural._' Finally realizing that if he didn't break the staring match soon, it would continue far into the day, he stepped back and spoke up in response to Sendoh's earlier comment.   
"Then do it yourself."   
He then turned his back on the spiky-haired man and walked to a cluster of trees that was located not that far from where he left Sendoh. He sat down in his favorite spot, which was at the base of a massive, beautiful oak tree. He gazed up at the strong limbs of the tree as the branches swayed back and forth gently with the wind. He relaxed, leaning against the thick trunk of the tree. He let a small sigh escape from his lips. Ever since he was little, he found refuge in trees. Trees filled him with a sense of peace and it calmed his soul. '_It's so peaceful here. If only I could stay here forever._' The branches above rustled soothingly as he closed his eyes and let his conscious travel with the winds.   
Something stirred in his mind, and a ball of unease and urgency formed in the pit of his stomach. Rukawa's eyes snapped open and he scanned the immediate area for clues to what alerted his senses. Seeing none, he quickly got to his feet and stalked in the direction that he was compelled to go. He felt a certain amount of relief that he was walking away from Sendoh's location. Soon he became aware of the sound of someone running through the forest. Changing his direction slightly so that he would meet the person with the pounding footsteps head on, he continued to walk.   
A brown-haired young boy burst out of the trees, panting heavily. His blue-gray eyes brightened up feverishly with hope as they landed on him. "Heeler! Heeler!…" He fell to his knees in front of Rukawa, trying to speak. "…may… 'r… hurt's… help…"   
Rukawa immediately crouched down in front of the boy. "Please catch your breath and then tell me." He said calmly as his hands reached out and soothingly rubbed young boy's back.   
The boy closed his eyes and sank trustingly into the healer's arms. Rukawa cradled the boy against him and carefully monitored the boy's breathing. Akio was an orphan that the mayor of the village had taken in. The little boy's parents were killed in a fire when raiders stormed a village that was a few miles away. Rukawa, upon feeling something terribly wrong that night, arrived after the raiders had left to find the village totally razed to the ground and that fire was burning everywhere. Rukawa quickly set about to look for survivors. It was pure luck that he stumbled across Akio. The boy was barely visible in all the rubble and smoke, and Rukawa would have never found him in time if the boy did not call out for help. Upon locating the boy, Rukawa quickly moved him a certain distance away from the burning village and administered most of the wounds before bringing him back to his cottage. The boy was severely burned and breathed in a lot of smoke. The villagers that heard about the rescue felt that the boy would not survive a fortnight, but Rukawa was adamant in nursing him back to health. After three long, stressing weeks, he successfully nursed the boy back to consciousness. It was a great relief to Rukawa for although he didn't show it, he was afraid that the boy would not make it. He felt a certain affinity to Akio, and showed the boy more kindness than he ever had to any of the other youngsters in the village during the weeks after the boy regained consciousness. As a result, Akio followed him everywhere and practically worshipped him. He felt more than a bit uncomfortable at the adoration he saw in the boy's eyes and he knew that he did not want the boy to grow up friendless and alone like he did. So he pleaded for the mayor to adopt the boy. The mayor agreed and everything returned to some semblance of normalcy.   
When he felt that the boy could speak properly, he shifted the boy carefully so that he could see the boy's face and asked, "What's wrong, Akio?"   
The boy opened his eyes and looked up at him. "The mayor fell from his roof. His head is bleeding a lot." The boy spoke slowly and enunciated the words carefully and clearly.   
Rukawa offered the boy a tiny smile and ruffled the sweat-damped brown strands approvingly. The boy smiled back at him, momentarily forgetting about the previous run, and basking in the praise that the other man gave him. Rukawa carefully rummaged through his robes and finally came up with an apple.   
"Here." He handed the apple to the boy. "Walk back to the village. I will be there shortly." Akio immediately nodded, got up and walked off to the village while munching on his apple.   
Rukawa quickly turned on his heel and walked in the direction where he left Sendoh. He listened carefully for the sounds of water splashing as he walked. He would not make the same mistake as before in intruding on the other man's privacy. When he was pretty sure that the man would be able to hear him, he called out, "Sendoh. Something came up. I will come back for you later." He paused a moment waiting for an answer. Upon hearing a muffled 'okay', Rukawa nearly ran towards the village with unease rolling in his stomach.

* * *

As Sendoh finished tying the knot on his robe, he looked up at the sun. He noticed that nearly an hour had passed and Rukawa still didn't come back yet. '_Guess something really big came up._' The hot water of the springs had eased his sore muscles tremendously and made him feel more refreshed and relaxed than he had since the war started.   
Balancing himself carefully with the crutch, he moved around looking around for a certain elusive flower. It was a pale green flower and normally people would not see it unless they knew what they were looking for. Finally spotting some, he squeezed some of the nectar out of the flowers and applied it to his hair. His hair that was drooping around his face after the bath was suddenly standing straight up from his scalp. He discovered this flower when he and his childhood friend, Koshino, decided to skip training one day to attend a summer fair at a nearby city. Actually, he had dragged Koshino to come along with him. They were riding their horses through a forest while Koshino was complaining that Sendoh was always getting him in trouble, when suddenly Sendoh's horse stumbled, sending Sendoh into a patch of pale green flowers. Some of the nectar of the flowers rubbed off on Sendoh as Koshino helped him up. As he ran his fingers through his hair, he found it standing straight up. Sendoh liked the new look and it persisted to the present.   
'_Oh yeah. Koshino. He should be pretty worried by now._'   
Sendoh looked around and slowly hobbled to the middle of a nearby small clearing. Sendoh looked up in the sky and spotted the thing that he was looking for. He took out a small silver whistle that hung around his neck and blew in it. No sound came out of the whistle but a small brown nondescript bird flew to him and landed on his shoulder. He gently petted the bird and then picked up a small piece of wood off the ground, taking care not to jostle the bird. He nicked little designs into the wood with a small dagger that was hidden in a small compartment in his shirt. '_Safe. Healing. Will be back soon._' He held out the piece of wood to the bird and the bird clamped the wood with its beak and flew away. Sendoh sent a silent thank you and a prayer of safe journey after the bird.   
Suddenly feeling a wave of dizziness, he decided that the clearing was a good place as any to wait for the healer. He carefully sat down on the grass, setting the crutch to his side. The sun was shining warmly down on him and he lied down and closed his eyes. He yawned once and thought, '_Guess I'm more tired than I thought. I wonder what Rukawa-kun is doing right now._' With that thought, he slipped away in the warm sunshine dreaming of beautiful, blue eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

The Meaning of Love: Chapter Six  
By Monmon

Disclaimers: Read Chapter 1. 

Upon reaching the village, Rukawa had his worst fears realized. Ignoring the people that were clamoring around him with questions, he observed the deathly pale man on the bed with his healer sight. The mayor had lost a large amount of blood and the wound in the mayor's head was much too deep. There was a large chance that the mayor would fall into a coma or suffer from brain damage if the mayor didn't die in the next couple of hours. He had no choice. He had to save the mayor, and in order to do so, he had to use his powers and suffer the consequences later. Seeing Akio hovering nearby, he called the boy to him.   
"Akio, please come over here."   
The boy scrambled up to him quickly and looked up at him expectantly. Rukawa took out a small packet of herbs from one of the many pockets in his robes and handed it to the boy. "Boil these in a pot of water for thirty minutes."   
"Yes Healer." Akio bobbed his head up and down before hurrying off to do his bidding.   
Rukawa looked around the crowded room and ordered everyone out. After closing and locking the door on the last of the stragglers, Rukawa immediately strode back to the mayor's bedside. After taking a seat on the bed, he cleared his mind and gently laid his fingertips on the forehead of his patient. He took a deep, calming breath before stretching his senses towards the wound. He was instantly attacked from all sides with the pain and confusion in the mayor's mind. Hastily erecting a shield, Rukawa probed for the deepest part of the wound. Sweat was pouring down his face and he felt his shields weakening from the onslaught of the mayor's emotions as he frantically searched. Just as he was about to give up, he saw a small area pulsing in an ugly dark red color with black streaks running through it. He quickly latched his mind to it and prayed that he found the right spot. Rukawa poured his power into the spot as he carefully watched in his mind's eye. As his power drained gradually from his body, he despaired when he saw that the wound did not change. '_Oh no. I picked the wrong spot. I couldn't save the mayor. Just like I couldn't save my parents._' His vision blurred as tears prickled in his eyes. Suddenly noticing a change in the mayor's condition, he rapidly blinked away his tears and watched in relief as the wound closed and healed without a scar before his eyes. He wanted to laugh but was just too tired to do so. He laid his head on his arms and fought his dizziness when his ears registered Akio's voice at the door. Taking a couple of deep breaths to regain his composure, he slowly got to his feet to not jar his aching head and slowly made his way to the door.   
Akio was waiting just outside the door with a tray in his hands. On the tray was a pot full of a strong black tea and a clean bowl and a spoon. Akio was balancing the tray on one hand and holding his nose with his other to avoid the stench of the medicine. Rukawa moved aside to allow the boy to place the tray on the table right by the door but did not allow the boy to see the mayor. He ushered the youth back outside and quietly thanked the boy. Akio's disappointment at not being allowed to see the mayor vanished in light of the healer's gratitude. Rukawa quickly closed the door again and stared at the black tea. He poured it carefully and slowly into the bowl with slightly shaking hands. Ignoring the spoon, he picked up the bowl carefully with both hands and quickly gulped down the medicine. Suppressing his nausea at the stench, he closed his eyes and waited a few minutes. When he opened his eyes again, the fogginess and dizziness had disappeared from his mind leaving him feeling refreshed. Not to be deceived by the temporary effects of the medicine, he picked up the clean bandages that some sensible soul had left by the bed and quickly wrapped it over the mayor's fading wound. After having done so, he opened the door and informed the mayor's relatives and concerned villagers that the mayor would be all right. He then left the house leaving explicit instructions to feed the mayor lots of soup and to make sure that the injured man had lots of bed rest.

* * *

Someone shaking him rather impatiently jostled Sendoh out of his dreams. Tensing up immediately, his eyes shot open to see Rukawa looming over him with a tinge of desperation and concern in his normally unreadable blue eyes.   
"What-" Sendoh started to say before getting cut off by the kitsune-eyed healer.   
"Get up. We have to go back." Rukawa said as the healer hastily hoisted him up. An arm wrapped around his waist and his own arm was pulled across the healer's shoulders and held securely there.   
Sendoh shook his head slightly to banish the sleep from his eyes and tried his best to keep up as the healer set an alarmingly fast pace back to the cottage. Sendoh stumbled quite a bit as branches seemed to pop up from the ground, and he nearly lost his footing as he was dragged forward. Pain shot up his legs as his bare feet scraped along several sharp stones. '_It's strange that I didn't notice the amount of branches and stones on the path when we were going to the hot springs. But then Rukawa was being a lot more considerate then than he is now._' Sendoh bit his lower lip to keep from crying out in pain.   
"Rukawa, can't we go a bit slower? Poor wounded patients like me can't handle this kind of pace." Sendoh intended the question to become out lightheartedly but it came out as a pain-filled grunt. Sendoh looked at the healer and realized that the blue-eyed man did not even register that he had spoken. The fox-eyed man was muttering something under his breath and had a look of determination on his face. Sendoh stumbled again but he ignored the pain and tried to lean closer to hear what the healer was saying.   
"…hurry… must hurry…"   
'_I wonder why Rukawa is in such a hurry. Is something going to happen?_' Sendoh thought worriedly. He suddenly noticed that Rukawa was breathing rather heavily and sweat dripped down the side of his flushed face. '_It is actually a bit cool tonight and I doubt that Rukawa has been doing so much exercise to warrant the amount of sweat that his body is producing._' He thought with some amount of concern. '_What the hell is wrong with him?_'   
He sighed in relief as the cottage came into view. '_Finally, this hellish walk is coming to an end._' Sendoh thought.   
The fox-eyed healer did not lessen his pace even with the cottage in sight. The man simply charged right into the cottage and then into the bedroom. Sendoh was deposited none too gently onto the bed. Sendoh watched warily as Rukawa swayed slightly on his feet before his dulled blue eyes rolled to the top of his head and he fainted. Sendoh barely had the time to save the healer from cracking his head on the floor. He reached out as the kitsune-eyed healer started to fall and grabbed a hand, tugging the healer onto the bed. The healer fell on top of him. Wrapping his arms around the man on top of him, he carefully maneuvered them so that they were lying side-by-side facing each other. He looked down at his feet and winced when he noticed that his feet were covered in small cuts and bruises. '_Oh well. I guess I'll just request that the healer take extra good care of me when we wake up in the morning._' He smiled at the thought and then looked over at Rukawa's feet, which were clad in woolskin boots. '_I'm too tired to do anything about them. He'll just have to be a little bit uncomfortable tonight._' He then pulled the blankets up and over the both of them.   
As they lay there, Sendoh reviewed the events of the day. '_Rukawa was fine when we were together at the hot springs and then he had to leave on some sort of 'urgent business'. I wonder what it was…_' Sendoh was jolted out of his thoughts as he noticed a pair of eyes on him. He lifted his head slightly off the pillow and stared directly into the wary emerald eyes of a fox. He waited silently as the Kit assessed him with his eyes. Finally, the fox blinked and trotted over to the side of the bed, curled up and then went right to sleep. '_It seems that I've passed a test._' Sendoh thought rather amusedly. He turned his attention back to the man in his arms. '_He looks quite like a fallen angel._' He thought almost absentmindedly as he lifted a hand and brushed back ebony bangs that partially concealed the pale, ethereal face. As if the hand had a mind of its own, it caressed one side of the face and ran its fingers through silky, ebony locks. '_Hmm… so soft…_' Finally realizing what he was doing, he snatched his hand back as if burned. A big yawn burst forth from his throat putting a stop to all thoughts for the night. He snuggled down into the blankets and the warm figure beside him and closed his eyes. He drifted off into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

Koshino was working late reading up on some military reports that might hint at the location of the ex-Baron Sawakita. He rubbed his bloodshot eyes tiredly, when he heard a sharp knock on the door. The door flew open without waiting for a response and an excited Aida Hikoichi rushed in. "There's word back from General Sendoh." Aida blurted out when he caught his breath.   
Koshino stood up immediately, fully awake. "Well what is it, soldier?" Koshino demanded of the younger officer.   
Aida straightened up at the tone of his voice and handed him a piece of wood. He immediately recognized the designs in the wood. Koshino smiled for the first time in days. "Thank you, Aida. You must be tired. Take the rest of the night off. Go back to your room and get some rest." Aida nodded and left the room.   
'_Sendoh, I knew you were still alive. You better hurry back soon. You still have to capture and arrest Sawakita._' Of course, Koshino would never tell Sendoh that he was worried about him. Koshino was just glad that his friend, and brother, is still alive. On that thought, he felt that the reports could wait until the next day and promptly went to bed.

* * *

'_Hmm…Eiji-kun will not be happy with this turn of events._' The dark figure thought as he spied upon the conversation between Aida and Koshino. He turned and stealthily flitted away in the shadows. The time will soon come when and he no longer had to pretend to be loyal to the king and prince. Soon he will be reunited with his Eiji-kun. He smiled eagerly to himself as he let himself be engulfed by the darkness of the night. 

* * *

When Rukawa returned to consciousness, he felt very safe and warm. He recognized the texture of his own bed and blankets surrounding him. He stretched a bit and realized with a frown that he was still wearing his boots. '_What happened last night that would make me so tired that I couldn't even take off my boots??_' He thought in no small amount of consternation. He suddenly remembered the mayor's accident and the medicine that he asked Akio to make him. Everything afterwards seemed to be a big blur. '_Well it seems that I made it home safely enough._' Then his whole body tensed up when he realized that someone else was in bed with him. 

Sendoh watched with a soft look in his eyes as the dark-haired healer shifted and stretched slightly. He had to stifle a chuckle as an adorable little frown appeared on the normally expressionless face. He waited patiently for Rukawa to realize where he was. He didn't have to wait long when he felt the body beside him tense up and sapphire-blue eyes popped open. Fox eyes widened in shock and the dark-haired man shot upright in bed before he could stop him. A soft groan reached his ears as the healer buried his most likely aching head into his hands. Sendoh immediately sat up and pushed Rukawa down so that he was lying back on the bed.   
"You should be more careful! It can't be that much of a shock to wake up next to the tall, dark and handsome Sendoh Akira, and I was a perfect gentleman last night! Lots of people would kill to be in your place at this moment!" Sendoh said good-naturedly with a grin on his face.   
A snort was his only answer.   
"Aw, come on. I know you enjoyed waking up to my lovely face!" Sendoh poked the kitsune-eyed healer lightly in the chest.   
"…" Rukawa ignored the comment and turned to the other side of the bed facing away from him.   
"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you. But don't I at least get an explanation for why you had to drag me all the way back to the cottage last night? You nearly tore my feet into ribbons."   
A dark blue eye peered up at his face before transferring its gaze to his feet. A small gasp of surprise escaped from the healer. Sendoh had to push the healer back onto the bed again as the dark-haired man attempted to get up again.   
"There's time enough for that later. Right now all I want is some more sleep and judging from how you are holding your head, you're not feeling that much better. So just get some more rest and then I can get my explanation and you can wrap up my feet." Sendoh wrapped an arm around the startled healer, making him stay in bed. "Besides, you make a good bed warmer." Smiling at the blush that covered the other man's face, Sendoh closed his eyes once again and let sleep overtake him.

Rukawa stared in shock at the slumbering man before him. He tried to squirm and wiggle his way out of the spiky-haired man's arms but froze when the other man mumbled something under his breath and shifted even closer to him so that they were nearly cuddling. Sighing in defeat, Rukawa closed his eyes and relaxed. His last thought as he slipped into the arms of Morpheus was that Sendoh's hair was _still_ spiky. 


End file.
